NHL Draft Grades 2025: Here's How All 32 Teams Did
NHL Draft Grades 2025: Here's How All 32 Teams Did
Chris Peters evaluates all the classes as they were picked at the 2025 NHL Draft for all 32 teams.
LOS ANGELES – The 2025 NHL Draft is in the books and teams are getting ready to welcome their new players to development camps and get set for the future. It’s always an exciting time.
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This year’s draft largely lived up to the hype that there would be surprises, there would be some big trades and there would be some drama. In the end, all 32 teams made their picks this weekend and now we have to wait and see how they all turn out.
But why wait too long? Grading draft classes immediately after the fact is a fool’s errand. Development is going to take control now and some players will rise and fall based on what steps they take over the next several years. However, we’ll take the information we have now about the players and one day we’ll have to reflect on how these instant grades looked in hindsight.
So here’s my report card for all 32 teams.
Anaheim Ducks
First-Round Pick: Roger McQueen
Grade: B+
The Ducks had a whopping 10 picks in the draft this year and certainly helped fill out the top end and the depth of their prospect pool. Roger McQueen is the high-risk, high-reward first-rounder who, if he hits could be a No. 1 center down the road. In the second round, the Ducks landed the high-compete winger Eric Nilson and solid puck-moving defenseman Lasse Boelius who was the best Finn in a weak class for Finland this year. Fourth-round picks Drew Schock and Elijah Neuenschwander have some good upside for the range they were picked, while the Ducks got more pieces to fill out depth in the latter three rounds.
Boston Bruins
First-Round Pick: James Hagens
Grade: B+
Walking out of the draft with an elite playmaker at the center position is always a good feeling. Hagens is going to be a critical piece of the new era of the Boston Bruins and a good weapon to add to the arsenal that includes core piece David Pastrnak. Will Moore is another high-upside forward with some size and will be joining Hagens at Boston College next year. Liam Pettersson, picked 61st overall, was not a player on my radar to be picked that high, but he had an interesting season where he worked his way up from Sweden’s U18 level all the way into some SHL games this season and will be one to watch closer next season. Additionally, Cooper Simpson was one of the best players in the Minnesota high school ranks, moved to the USHL for a brief stint and scored seven goals in nine games. He can definitely fire it. In the end, Boston made seven total picks and vastly improved one of the league’s shallower prospect pools.
Buffalo Sabres
First-Round Pick: Radim Mrtka
Grade: B
The Sabres had nine total picks in the draft, but seven of those were in the fourth round or later. It’s a bit harder to build up too much with picks so late in a shallower draft. However, they addressed one of their most glaring needs with a high-upside right-shot defenseman in Radim Mrtka and doubled down on the right-shot D with David Bedkowski. Mrtka is 6-foot-6 and Bedkowski is 6-foot-5. There’s going to need to be some patience with both players as they have room to develop, but it’s exciting to add that kind of size in a position of need. Additionally, the Sabres took a shot on one of the younger goalies in the draft in Samuel Meloche who appeared in a whopping 51 games in his first full-time season in junior hockey.
Calgary Flames
First-Round Picks: Cole Reschny and Cullen Potter
Grade: B+
The Flames had two first-round picks and walked out with two highly-skilled forwards that could help their scoring down the road. Reschny is one of the smarter offensive players with high-end playmaking ability and Potter was probably the draft’s fastest skater. Neither have great size, but they both have translatable skills to the NHL. Meanwhile, the Flames did manage to add some size in big Theo Stockselius, who is a handful down low and has some power elements in his game. They also drafted big defenseman Mace’o Phillips who is one of the draft’s heaviest players at 6-foot-6 and 234 pounds. He has a lot of developing to do, but if he hits, he could be a shutdown defenseman. Ethan Wyttenbach is another intriguing player out of the USHL who had 51 points in 44 games in what was his first year of junior hockey.
Carolina Hurricanes
First-Round Picks: None
Grade C+
The Hurricanes had a very on-brand draft for their organization as they traded back, took some swings on some Russian players – four in total – and probably got better value in the end with having more picks than just holding onto a first-rounder for the sake of picking in the first round. The Canes picked Semyon Frolov, who is probably the second best goalie in the draft at worst, with their first choice at No. 41. He’s 6-foot-3 and athletic, putting up good numbers this season. I thought they reached a little bit on Charlie Cerrato, but he is such a stylistic fit for their club and made the most of his second chance to be drafted at Penn State. Ivan Ryabkin at No. 62 is good value, but also comes with some risk as teams were concerned about his fitness level and some of his antics on the ice, but he’s a legitimate scoring threat. No. 67 pick Kurban Limatov is big, rangey and still a work in progress, but the right kind of bet in the mid rounds. Heck, the Hurricanes even got Filip Ekberg whose U18 Worlds was explosive. If he were bigger, he would have gone earlier, which seems to be the story with many Hurricanes draft picks in recent years.
Chicago Blackhawks
First-Round Picks: Anton Frondell, Václav Nestrašil and Mason West
Grade: A-
The Blackhawks used their draft capital to get into the first round for another year with three first-round picks. They got their top-six center of the future in Anton Frondell at 3. Then landed two of the biggest forwards in the draft in 6-foot-6 behemoths Václav Nestrašil and Mason West, both of whom are big bets on upside while adding much needed size to the forward group. That theme continued with the one second-round pick in Nathan Behm, who has some size and power elements and scored 31 goals in the WHL this year. It’s a similar story with Julius Sumpf, who starred for Germany at the World Juniors and was over a point per game with the Moncton Wildcats. The Hawks even managed to take a swing on a big Russian goalie in the seventh round, Ilya Karnarsky, who put up some absurd numbers. They got deeper and addressed some serious areas of need in a draft that offered a lot of size.
Colorado Avalanche
First-Round Picks: None
Grade: C-
The Avs walked out with three draft picks as they are in the win-now mode where the draft is more of a secondary thought. They picked 20-year-old Francesco Dell’Elce in the third round out of tried and true UMass. Nolan Roed is another older player drafted in an additional year of eligibility who had a nice USHL season and could be the kind of guy they would have tried to sign as a college free agent if they didn’t take him now.
Columbus Blue Jackets
First-Round Picks: Jackson Smith and Pyotr Andreyanov
Grade: B-
I think the Jackson Smith pick at 14 was a good range to land a defenseman with his upside and offensive skillset. There’s work to be done there, but he has all the tools to be a top-four guy down the road. The more surprising pick was Pyotr Andreyanov at No. 20. He lacks the big frame that teams covet, but he played remarkably well in Russia this year. I think goalies are so hard to pick in the first round, especially when they don’t have that more comfortable size profile that most NHL netminders come into the league with. Malte Vass, picked in the third round, is a nice value add as a big defenseman with some upside. I think Columbus could have potentially made a bigger splash here with two top 20 picks.
Dallas Stars
First-Round Picks: None
Grade: C+
The Stars always seem to make the most of their drafts, and in a lot of cases you just have to wait and see. However, getting a high-scoring, but small forward like Cameron Schmidt with their first pick at No. 94 seems like the kind of luck Dallas has these days. He’s a good skater and has a killer shot that he might find a way to make it at his size. Brandon Gorzynski at No. 126 also could be a good value pick as he shined in his first full season in the WHL after making the jump midway through last year. Goalie Måns Goos was also on my Top 100 this year as I like the upside even if he needs a lot of refining.
Detroit Red Wings
First-Round Pick: Carter Bear
Grade: B+
I’ve been wanting to see the Red Wings add a little bit more of a dynamic element to their forward group and I think they did that with Carter Bear. He’s a 40-goal scorer, but he also has a strong compete level that allows him to get under opponents’ skin. He fits right in with the kind of team Detroit has been building through the draft. I also like Detroit’s second-round, Eddie Genborg who has some power-forward elements to his game and got into 28 SHL games this season as a U18. Michal Pradel was one of the goalies in my Top 100 as he has NHL size and a game that is trending up. I’ll look forward to seeing what he can do with a full season in North America.
Edmonton Oilers
First-Round Picks: None
Grade: C
Despite not having a pick until No. 83, I thought the Oilers did well. Tommy Lafreniere, David Lewandowski and Aidan Park were all players on my top 100 and Edmonton got them at 83, 117 and 223, respectively. I also think Asher Barnett, who they picked at No. 131, is a solid mid-round guy. The Oilers aren’t going to be able to really pump up their prospect pool in the position their in, but I thought they at least added some depth to their group with some guys that at least have a chance down the road.
Florida Panthers
First-Round Picks: None.
Grade: D+
When you win the Stanley Cup twice in a row, who really even needs draft picks? Florida still managed to make six picks, but they were all in the fourth round or later. You’re pretty much hoping a few of these guys hit enough to land an NHL contract, especially in a shallower year for the draft. I don’t think the Panthers could have done much more than they did given where they were picking, though I am intrigued by Danish winger Mads Kongsbak Klyvø who got into some playoff games late last year with Frölunda’s senior team.
Los Angeles Kings
First-Round Pick: Henry Brzustewicz
Grade: B+
The Kings traded back in the first round and I think they made the most of their opportunities. They got a solid puck-moving defenseman in Henry Brzustewicz out of the vaunted London Knights program, landed a top-50 player from my list at No. 59 in Vojtech Cihar, the highly-productive Kristian Epperson at No. 88 and one of my favorite goalies in this draft, World Junior standout Petteri Rimpinen at No. 152. I also really liked getting USHL speedster Brendan McMorrow at 196. The Kings had nine picks and I think they did a tremendous job building out the depth and adding some pieces.
Minnesota Wild
First-Round Picks: None
Grade: B-
The Wild didn’t have a ton of picks this year and didn’t make their first selection until No. 52. They added Swedish defenseman Theo Hallquisth there, who has some size and is a right shot. He also played some SHL games this year. He’s a little vanilla, but that can be a good thing sometimes. He was No. 75 on my list. In the fourth round, the Wild picked three times and got high-end Czech Adam Benák whose biggest fault is his size at this point and 6-foot-3 center Carter Klippenstein, who was also on our Top 100. Given the low volume of picks, I think the Wild did pretty well with the bets they made on their mid-round guys and picked a high-floor type player in Hallquisth.
Montreal Canadiens
First-Round Picks: None
Grade: B-
The Habs made the biggest splash by landing Noah Dobson in a trade with the Islanders that cost them both first-round picks. It was a price worth paying for a long-term piece. Meanwhile, they drafted Alexander Zharovsky at No. 34, who some believed could be a first-round caliber talent and has boatloads of skill. They also picked up FloHockey top 100 players Hayden Papanekis at No. 69, Bryce Pickford at No. 81 and a personal favorite, L.J. Mooney at No. 113. As the team that took a chance on Lane Hutson despite size concerns, I love that the Habs are doing the same with the 5-foot-7 Mooney. Carlos Händel was another FloHockey Top 100 pick that the Habs landed at No. 177. With nine total picks, I like what the Habs did even outside of that remarkable trade.
Nashville Predators
First-Round Picks: Brady Martin, Cameron Reid, Ryker Lee
Grade: A
The Predators had a big haul of players starting in the first round and six of their seven picks were in FloHockey’s Top 100. I do think they reached a little with Brady Martin, leaving offensive upside on the table but they still got one of the 10 best players in the draft there. Meanwhile, their blue line can use more puck movers and Cameron Reid does just that. The Preds also are adding to the skill up front by landing Ryker Lee, the USHL’s Rookie of the Year. In the second round, the Preds got big defenseman Jacob Rombach who is approaching 6-foot-7, and they also got the goalie they badly needed to bring into the system. Jack Ivankovic is hoping he can be like Juuse Saros and beat the odds of being a smaller-than-average goalie, and I think he might have the goods to do it. Alex Huang is another solid puck mover to let develop for a while. He is going to Harvard after wrapping up his QMJHL career.
New Jersey Devils
First-Round Picks: None
Grade: C+
The Devils didn’t pick until 50th overall and took Conrad Fondrk, who had his season cut short by injury this year. They also got one of the quicker, more skilled players taken in the second round with Ben Kevan and picked up a big centerman in Mason Moe, both out of the USHL. Additionally, the Devils took a swing on 6-foot-8 goalie Trenton Bennett, who played some in the OHL this year, but was primarily in the CCHL with the Kemptville 73’s. He’s a project I’m sure the Devils goalie staff can’t wait to get their hands on. It’s hard to draft any sure things at picking where they did, but I think the Devils got some pieces that can help down the road.
New York Islanders
First-Round Picks: Matthew Schaefer, Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson
Grade: A+
The Islanders made themselves a little worse in the short term by trading Noah Dobson, but I think they are laying the foundation to a new core on Long Island with what they did at the draft. Matthew Schaefer is the centerpiece and the team’s likely long-term No. 1 defenseman. Victor Eklund was No. 8 on my list and the Isles got him at 16, and Kashawn Aitcheson as my No. 2 ranked defenseman in the class. Meanwhile, Daniil Prokhorov was getting some first-round buzz as a 6-foot-6 forward who can score and hits everything. Luca Romano is a blazing skater with a lot of skill and Tomas Poletin has some great two-way value as a winger. The Isles also got Sam Laurila, the USHL’s top defenseman this year, at 138, and even their last pick at 202 was a player I think could give himself a shot to play in the league one day, Jacob Kvasnicka. His high motor might get him there. All-in-all, the Islanders had a really spectacular two days at the draft.
New York Rangers
First-Round Picks: None
Grade: C+
The Rangers let the No. 12 pick go to Pittsburgh, so they didn’t pick until No. 43, but I think they still landed a first-round caliber player in Malcolm Spence. He’s an abrasive forward who can score and that will always have value. Sean Barnhill is a big right-shot defenseman, who is only just scratching the surface right now. I don’t think there is a ton of wow factor to this class. There’s quite a few guys with high floors and questionable ceilings, but I think when you lack a premium pick – which was their choice this year to protect next year’s first-rounder – you have a harder time making a real splash.
Ottawa Senators
First-Round Pick: Logan Hensler
Grade: B-
I like Ottawa’s first-round pick in Logan Hensler as I think he will potentially be in their top four one day as a strong shut-down option with some limited scoring potential. Blake Vanek, taken in the third round, is an intriguing player who had a big season in Minnesota high school and will play in the WHL next year. He’s the son of former NHLer Thomas Vanek and has some good size to him with scoring pop. I’m also intrigued by Bruno Idzan, a Croatian player who came into the USHL this season and really tore it up. Lucas Beckman was another player on the FloHockey Top 100, who I think has some nice upside as a goalie after a respectable .914 save percentage in 52 appearances in his first QMJHL season.
Philadelphia Flyers
First-Round Picks: Porter Martone, Jack Nesbitt
Grade: A-
I was surprised to see the Flyers pass on a center to take Porter Martone, but you can’t deny the incredible upside he brings to the table along with his size. The Flyers still needed to grab a center and they traded up to take Jack Nesbitt. I think the value was rich on that move-up and that Nesbitt’s skating does give me pause even though I like his offensive capabilities and hockey sense. Neither Martone nor Nesbitt are spectacular skaters, but they can score. I really, really liked Philly’s second-round though. They got a massive defenseman in Carter Amico, who missed most of the season with injury but showed really impressive flashes when healthy. Jack Murtagh is a scorer with some grit to him, Shane Vansaghi just looks like a Flyer and might be one of the physically strongest players in the draft. And then Matthew Gard kept the theme going with big fellas who can make plays down low. I think the Flyers made their six picks within the first 57 of the draft really count and made their organization better.
Pittsburgh Penguins
First-Round Picks: Benjamin Kindel, Bill Zonnon, Will Horcoff
Grade: B
The Penguins came into the draft with No. 11 and No. 12. They traded down and pulled the biggest surprise of the top 15 when they picked Ben Kindel 11th. I really like Kindel, but had him rated at No. 28 in the draft. He scored 99 points this year and has some dynamic elements to his game, but I do wonder if the skating at his size is going to hold him back at all. Meanwhile, I thought Penguins left a little too much on the table with how they made their picks. I had Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff rated in the first round, but later and I’m not sure if they really push things forward for a team that is in a quasi-rebuild. What does help is that the Pens had 12 picks in this draft to start working on a prospect pool that is still quite shallow. Kindel has a chance to be the best player and I think there’s going to be a lot of rope given to him to find his game as a pro. But I do look at the totality of the class and lack excitement about the lack of high-ceiling players that could potentially really add some rocket fuel to the Penguins’ transitional period. It feels a little like a missed opportunity even though I think there’s a net positive outcome for the organization as a whole with the volume of picks they had.
San Jose Sharks
First-Round Picks: Michael Misa and Joshua Ravensbergen
Grade: A
The Sharks couldn’t really go wrong at No. 2 and they get the most explosive forward in the class by selecting Misa. They also added a potential goalie of the future in Joshua Ravensbergen, who at No. 30 provides better overall value as a potential No. 1 than some of the other options there. The Sharks made a big bet on upside with Haoxi Wang who is 6-foot-6 and just figuring out how he needs to play at his size, but has tremendous mobility and some skill. Cole McKinney was No. 32 on my list and the Sharks got him at No. 53. I think he’ll be a legit two-way center for them down the road. Those first four picks alone were enough to put them on the A train as I think they’ve got to be sensing things are coming together for the future of this club as they build more around Macklin Celebrini.
Seattle Kraken
First-Round Pick: Jake O’Brien
Grade: B+
After passing on a premium defenseman at No. 8 and taking another center – a really skilled and exciting one in Jake O’Brien – the Kraken still got one of the better defensemen in this class with Blake Fiddler at No. 36. I had him as a first-rounder. They also kept drafting defensemen, taking four with their six picks they ended up making. I like that Seattle was able to address some needs later, while still chasing the higher-end offense that a player like O’Brien can bring.
St. Louis Blues
First-Round Pick: Justin Carbonneau
Grade: B
The Blues only had three picks in this draft, but I absolutely love them landing Carbonneau who I think is a great fit for the organization. He plays a heavy game but still has the soft skill to be a producer. I think he’ll fit right in with St. Louis. Having only two other picks much later in the draft, there’s not a ton that can be added. Still coming out with Carbonneau is going to feel like a win.
Tampa Bay Lightning
First-Round Picks: None
Grade: C+
The Lightning didn’t have a lot of early picks with Ethan Czata being taken at No. 56. That’s right around the range I had him at No. 53 on my list and I think he’s going to play games in the NHL down the road. I also liked the pickup at No. 108 of Benjamin Rautiainen, who played a lot of pro games this year and might have a short timeline to see what he can do in their organization. The Lightning had eight picks, with half of them coming in the seventh round. It was nice to see Caleb Heil drafted this year after getting passed up, the USHL goalie took a considerable step forward this season. I like that the Lightning were able to get quantity, but I’m not terribly certain of the quality which is just the nature of having so many late picks.
Toronto Maple Leafs
First-Round Picks: None
Grade: C
The Leafs didn’t pick until No. 64 and landed Norwegian Tinus Luc Koblar, who plays in Sweden. I think he’s an interesting player, but was not a player I considered listing in the Top 100 this time around. I did have Tyler Hopkins in the mix because I like his compete level and the Leafs got him at No. 86. You can say similar things about Will Belle, who has some good physical attributes. In the end, I don’t know that this class did much to push the Leafs’ system forward.
Utah Mammoth
First-Round Pick: Caleb Desnoyers
Grade: B+
I love the Desnoyers pickup because I think he’s exactly what Utah needs in the long term. His value as a two-way center is only enhanced by the way the Mammoth have structured their forward lines to date. He will help in a few years. Max Psenicka was also a nice pickup at No. 46. I had him at No. 54 on my list, but the 6-foot-5 frame with enough skating to be a tough shutdown guy is good value, too. Stepan Hoch was another pick for Utah that was also on my Top 100, adding more size to the fold. Lastly, adding Yegor Borikov in the late rounds is a solid pickup, too. He had 25 points and played in 67 games in the KHL this season.
Vancouver Canucks
First-Round Pick: Braeden Cootes
Grade: B
The Canucks got a great fit for their organization in Braeden Cootes, who I think checks so many boxes for what teams are looking for including in the character department. Alexei Medvedev didn’t play a ton down the stretch for London this year, but he’s a goalie I think teams really want tow ork with. He’s been in North America for a while now and was only draft eligible by five days this year. There is a lot of development time for him yet. Kieren Dervin is another interesting pickup as he played primarily prep school this year and will likely now get a year in the OHL. He’s a tremendous athlete. I’m also looking forward to seeing what Wilson Björk brings to the table down the road. He is heading to college after lighting up the Swedish U20 ranks at 19.
Vegas Golden Knights
First-Round Picks: None.
Grade: B-
Draft picks? Who needs those? Usually not the Golden Knights, but they always seem to find ways to grab value even when they don’t have a lot of picks. Jakob Ihs-Wozniak was a fringe first-round candidate I ranked at No. 29 who they got at No. 55. He’s a legit scoring threat. They also picked up Mateo Nobert at No. 85. I had him ranked at No. 85. He’s a legit playmaker. After picks in rounds 2 and 3, the golden Knights only had two more picks in Round 6, using the first one on Alex Weiermair, who took a big step forward after going back to junior hockey.
Washington Capitals
First-Round Pick: Lynden Lakovic
Grade: A-
The Caps have drafted well despite being in less-advantageous positions over their history. Sometimes they get some fortunate bounces and I think that’s what getting Lynden Lakovic at 27 will be. Yes, Lakovic needs to bring a better compete level to the table, but 6-foot-4 forwards with hands like his don’t come around a lot. I think that value is incredible at No. 27. I had him ranked 18th. I also had Milton Gästrin ranked 22nd and the Caps got him at No. 37. That’s two high-value forwards who can fit into roles within the first two picks. Maxim Schäfer is another player I was quite high on, ranked 56th, and the Caps got him at No. 96. There’s good variety in their mix and, having just five picks, I think Washington did very well here.
Winnipeg Jets
First-Round Pick: Sascha Boumedienne
Grade: B+
The Jets ended up with five picks to make and I like what they came out with. Boumedienne at No. 28 is good value for one of the best-skating defensemen in this draft. He’s got more work to do on some of his puck decisions, but the toolkit is definitely intriguing. Owen Martin was listed No. 90 on our Top 100 and is a talented right-shot center who missed a good chunk of the season. I also like taking a chance on small, but dynamic Viktor Klingsell. He can really shoot the puck. I think Edison Engle, picked 188th is another player we could yet hear from down the road. He had a strong season in the USHL and is headed to the OHL before going to college in 2026. Intriguing late-round player, for sure.
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